Roland Empire's northern border, Lucas Province, Winter City.
The cold wind howled, and heavy snow fell.
Winter City had already entered winter, and it was colder than usual. The streets were nearly empty, with the few passersby hurrying along. Most of the shops lining the roads had their doors shut tight, with only a sliver of light shining through the cracks.
Amid the silence, Holy Radiance Road, where the Church of Light stood, seemed quite different.
It was barely dawn, yet a crowd had already gathered outside the Church of Light. Carriages filled the square in front of it, and nobles dressed in finery pushed aside their curtains to exchange greetings.
At the far end of Holy Radiance Road, beside the square, two figures—one tall, one short—appeared. They hurried toward the Church of Light, looking weary from their journey.
Some nobles near the edge of the square noticed the approaching pair. They glanced at their patched clothes with disdain, then exchanged a couple of quiet, mocking laughs. After making remarks like "Country folk really are uncivilized," they looked away and paid them no further attention.
Reo Douglas noticed the nobles' gazes and frowned. He instinctively stepped in front of Lin En Douglas, shielding him from their strange looks.
Lin En, sheltered behind Reo, noticed his movement. His lively eyes flickered, but he followed Reo silently. The two eventually stopped at the southeastern corner of the square.
The southeastern corner where Lin En stood was clearly separated from the rest of the square, dividing it into two circles: one of nobles dressed in finery, chatting loudly, and another of ordinary commoners like Lin En and Reo, dressed plainly and behaving with restraint.
"Don't let them get to you." As if worried about Lin En, Reo spoke in a low voice soon after they stopped.
Lin En looked up and glanced over at the nobles. He smiled faintly. "Father, I wouldn't take them seriously."
After exchanging a few words, they put the matter behind them. Lin En turned his attention to the magic test that the Church of Light was about to begin.
As he looked at the two soldiers in silver-white armor standing at the church entrance, the general knowledge of the continent that Reo had explained to him came to mind.
"...Saint Domain, the suspected god, Emperor Roland... the Church of Light, the Church of Darkness, the Seven Elements, the Four Laws... mages, warriors..."
Remembering Reo's explanation, Lin En felt somewhat dazed. It was hard to believe, but he knew there was a good chance he had transmigrated to the Coiling Dragon World.
Meanwhile, guided by the clerics, the magic test officially began. The people in the square entered the church hall in an orderly line, one after another.
A huge crystal chandelier cast a bright glow across the church hall. The floor was laid with neatly cut marble slabs, which shimmered softly beneath the lights.
At the very center of the hall, a cleric in a black robe spoke loudly. "Those taking the magic test, come to me first to register. When the test begins, come up one at a time. Parents and relatives should wait to the side. Do not interfere with the test."
"Lin En, here's the fee for signing up. Relax, and don't put too much pressure on yourself. It's all right even if you fail. I can still afford this much." Reo spoke earnestly.
"Okay." Lin En took the ten gold coins needed for the registration fee, drew a deep breath, and nodded with a serious expression. Then he went over to register with the black-robed cleric.
Under the cleric's direction, the boys were soon arranged into a long line.
At the head of the line stood a complex, hexagonal magic array. Having read the original story, Lin En knew it was probably the array mentioned there, used to test spiritual power. As for the crystal ball before it, that was likely used to test elemental affinity.
"First."
The black-robed cleric pointed to the crystal ball and addressed the boy at the front of the line, who looked about eight or nine years old. "Put your hand on it and test your elemental affinity."
At the black-robed cleric's signal, the boy nervously raised his hand. The moment it touched the crystal ball, the entire sphere began to glow with a hazy blue light, mingled with a faint trace of white.
"Nine years old. Medium affinity for the Water Element, low affinity for the Light Element. Now step into the magic array and begin the test of your spiritual power," the black-robed cleric announced, looking down at the information in his hand.
"Little fellow, spiritual power is the foundation of becoming a mage and a measure of your potential. It's of the utmost importance. During the test, try to hold on as long as you can. Don't kneel or fall over too easily." The black-robed cleric's warning was deliberately loud, clearly meant for the other candidates waiting in line as well.
Hearing the cleric's words, a flash of insight crossed Lin En's eyes. Whether I'm a transmigrator or have awakened the memories of a past life, my soul should be pretty strong. My spiritual power probably won't be a problem. Elemental affinity is what really matters.
According to the original story, once your elemental affinity reaches medium or higher, you're eligible to enter an ordinary magic academy and become a mage, provided your spiritual power meets the requirement. With high elemental affinity and formidable spiritual power, you can be considered a genius, and might even have the academy's hefty tuition waived.
At the thought, Lin En's eyes grew brighter. As a transmigrator, he didn't come from a well-off family in this life. Compared with the wealthy nobles taking the test, Lin En faced more obstacles.
Lin En's father, Reo, was only a fourth-level warrior and worked as a hunter. His mother, Irina, was just an ordinary person. Even after a year of hard work, the couple could barely save a dozen or so gold coins.
They could just manage to scrape together the money to send Lin En to take the magic test, but when it came to magic academies, where tuition started at hundreds of gold coins, Reo could only admit he was powerless.
...As Lin En pondered, the tests continued to move along.
"Just a little short... His spiritual power is four times that of his peers. What a pity!" The boy in the magic array suddenly fell to the ground. The black-robed cleric shook his head in disappointment, his face filled with regret.
To become a mage, one's spiritual power had to reach five times that of their peers. The boy had reached four times—only one short. But that single difference was the distance between heaven and Hell.
At five times, one could become a noble mage. At four times, one could only become a "rough" warrior.
"Your spiritual power doesn't meet the requirement. You have no chance of becoming a mage," the black-robed cleric announced. The magic array stopped, and the boy left with a downcast expression.
One boy after another took the test, but not one of the first ten met the requirement. The hopeful look on the black-robed cleric's face gradually faded.
"Not qualified. Next." Looking at yet another boy who had collapsed to his knees in the magic array—he had lasted even less time than the previous one—the black-robed cleric shook his head and turned his gaze to Lin En, the next candidate.